Press Release

PHILADELPHIA’S BRING-YOUR-OWN-BOTTLE RESTAURANTS PLEASE VISITORS’ PALATES AND WALLETS
Zagat Survey® Says: “Philadelphia’s home to one of the most active bring-your-own scenes
 in the United States...”

PHILADELPHIA, October 27, 2006 - Foodies in Philadelphia are on a mission to make their hometown the finest destination for affordable, upscale cuisine in the country. More than 200 restaurants make up the ever-growing bring-your-own-bottle (BYOB) dining phenomenon, and diners and BYOB owners are loving every morsel of it. Now, restaurants are even encouraging patrons to bring along beer and spirits, in addition to wine. The BYOB concept has gained so much popularity that hotels and full-service restaurants with liquor licenses have responded by creating special BYOB nights.

Radicchio

Photo by G. Widman for GPTMC

In November, the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) will launch a new tourism marketing effort, called Philadelphia – the place to b.y.o.be. With this campaign, GPTMC aims to encourage visitors to try a series of BYOBs and spend a few nights in area hotels. One of the BYOB effort’s main goals is to educate the consumer about where to find the closest Wine & Spirits Store locations and about the “Chairman’s Select” wine program. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, run by Chairman Jonathan Newman, is the largest single buyer of wines in the world, and the “Chairman’s Select” program showcases premium wines at value prices.

Campaign Details:
Here is an overview of GPTMC’s newest campaign:

• Online: On November 1, 2006, gophila.com will debut a dynamic BYOB restaurant map, employing customized Google Map functionality. The interactive map will feature more than 130 restaurants across the region, which can then be sorted and viewed by cuisine and neighborhood. In addition, the map will also display the nearest Wine & Spirits Store location for each restaurant.
  
• Advertising: Advertising will appear in print, on radio, online and outdoors. Media buy highlights include:
• 37-foot billboards at the Pier at Atlantic City and on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Harrisburg
• Taxi tops in New York City and Washington D.C.
• 10-second traffic sponsorships on radio in New York, D.C. and Harrisburg
• A two-page spread in Where Philadelphia’s Holiday Festival Guide, a special supplement that will appear in the magazine in November and December
• Paid online placements on NJ.com, NYPost.com, WashingtonPost.com, DailyCandy and CitySearch
  
• Media relations: GPTMC has created a specially designed BYOB press kit that features the who, the what and the why of Philadelphia’s thriving dining scene. The kit includes profiles of the people behind the BYOB scene, fun facts about restaurants and owners and BYOB etiquette. GPTMC will conduct a themed press trip in November with guests from the United States and Canada. BYOB will become a focus of the media relations outreach through spring 2007.

Why Philadelphia?:
There are many reasons why Philadelphia is considered the unofficial “BYOB” capital of North America. The trend is tied largely to Pennsylvania’s Quaker history. Strict alcohol licensing laws and expensive liquor licenses make it a challenge for smaller restaurants to have bars on the premises. Most importantly, there are no laws prohibiting restaurant patrons from bringing their own bottle.

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside™ a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region’s vitality. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit www.gophila.com or call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676. 

Note to Editors: For photos of Greater Philadelphia, visit our Photo Gallery. On the pressroom, you can also subscribe to RSS feeds to receive updates on topics that are specifically of interest to you: What’s New, Dining, Events, Seasonal Travel, Hotel Packages and Tourism Research.

CONTACT:

Jeff Guaracino, GPTMC
(215) 599-2290, jeff@gptmc.com

Related RSS Feeds

Topic	XML Feeds
What's New This feed will be updated whenever any new content is added to Gophila.com’s Press Room. It includes all topics.
Dining Restaurant news, trends, openings, etc.